


Julie's Story (3) - The Letter

by pallasite



Series: Behind the Gloves [167]
Category: Babylon 5, Babylon 5 & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Autobiographical Elements, Awkwardness, Backstory, Canon Compliant, Confusion, Epistolary, Fix-It, Gen, Guilt, Latent Telepaths, Letters, POV Female Character, Privilege, Psi Corps, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, telepaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 13:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pallasite/pseuds/pallasite
Summary: Julie, a commercial telepath, gets an odd letter.The prologue ofBehind the Glovesishere- please read!
Series: Behind the Gloves [167]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/677654
Kudos: 1





	Julie's Story (3) - The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> New to _Behind the Gloves_? What is this series? Where are the acknowledgements, table of contents and universe timelines? See [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10184558/chapters/22620590). What is this series? Where are the acknowledgements, table of contents and universe timelines? See [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10184558/chapters/22620590).

The letter came in the mail one day, unassuming. Julie opened it, and was surprised to find it hand-written.

Her heart skipped in her chest. Who would send a hand-written letter to a telepath? Was this a threat?

_Dear Ms. Cashe,_

_I know this letter is out of the ordinary for you, and so I hope you forgive me. I do not wish to cause you any distress, and I apologize in advance if I have done so._

This didn't make Julie feel any less queasy - she just felt worse.

_You do not know me - we met only once, in a negotiation not too long ago. I know you observe many negotiations, so I don't think you will be able to figure out my identity. To be honest, I had never met a telepath before that meeting, so I didn't know what to expect. I was even a little bit nervous, with what some people say about the Corps. But the meeting went smoothly, and everything worked out, so I guess whatever you did, you did a good job!_

Julie tried to remember a recent client matching the description of the mystery letter's author. She did oversee many meetings for Centimia - that was true - and while she knew many of the company employees, there were always people on the other side she'd never seen before.

No, she decided, this letter had to come from outside Centimia - likely from someone in a small firm that didn't often contract telepaths. She would have to go through her records... out of curiosity, of course.

She wondered why, if this person was employed outside, he or she chose to write to _her_ , and not to his or her own company's telepath. There had been two telepaths at the meeting - there always were. Centimia was too large a firm to ever go with just one. And she would remember being the only telepath in the room.

_I know I'm taking a risk in sending you this letter... what if the Corps finds out? I ask that you please not tell the Corps, though of course I can't control if you do or don't. You may have no choice. I don't know the rules... you may have to send my letter to the Corps. It's a risk I have to take. I admit, I really don't know very much about you people, or how the Corps does things, and so I'm probably embarrassing myself, and maybe even risking my own safety. I spent a long time thinking about this, and decided it was worth the risk. If they come for me, well, so be it._

Come for him or her, for WHAT?

_As I said, I had never met a telepath before, unless you count the ladies that came to my school each year and lined us up and stared at us. I'd never really thought much about telepaths, to be honest. I hope that doesn't sound rude. Most of us normals just don't ever really think about telepaths, as I'm sure you know. I certainly never considered that maybe I could be one... and I still know I'm not... at least, I think I'm not. All the tests in school were always negative, and I never heard anyone's thoughts or felt something that would make me think I was like you... or what I imagine it's like to be you, anyway. I'm a little embarrassed. I'm sure you'd know what I was feeling if you were in the same room as me, so I had to send this as a letter... it's the only way I could keep my thoughts private as I wrote this, and of course, the only way I can hope to keep you (and the Corps) from knowing my identity.  
_

Julie was quite grateful she never had to put up with this person - and his or her rambling mix of emotions - in person.

_That day at the meeting, something happened to me that never happened before. You were talking... you were saying something about the contract, we were close to wrapping up, you looked at me, and then something happened and in that moment, I FELT YOUR MIND. I can't describe it as anything other than that, and it was the most incredible feeling, even though I know to you this must be nothing. This must be like what it's like to be you all the time (is it?). It must sound like nothing but to me it was one of the most intense experiences I'd ever had... and I never even knew this was possible. You were just there across the table, you were talking to me, you were looking at me, and then I could FEEL YOUR MIND, and then it was over._

_I don't know if you did something, or if it just happened. Does this make me a latent telepath? A P1? Have you ever heard of this before?  
_

_I must sound silly asking you questions, because I know you cannot find me and reply. Maybe I am asking myself._

"Or maybe you should just ask the Corps?!" she asked aloud, exasperated, to the empty apartment.

Yes, it was clear that the letter's author was a latent telepath. She'd heard stories like this before, though she'd never received a letter like this herself. Julie wished that the letter's writer would just call the Corps and get some answers (and peace of mind), but it was clear the writer was too scared of the Corps to do that.

Not her problem.

_I am sorry for imposing on you with this letter. It was just the most extraordinary thing I have ever felt and so at the very least, I wanted to thank you for that. Even if we never see one another again, you have added something profound to my life that words will never do justice. I have seen a glimpse - no matter how small - of a world beyond my senses, a whole world out there that I never knew existed. You have expanded my world. Thank you._

Part of her wanted to say "you're welcome," out of a sense of obligation - don't you have to say that when thanked? - although Julie knew she'd done nothing at all. She and the other telepath in the room were the first telepaths this writer had ever met. She had simply _existed_ in the fabric of space/time/mind, and this person had also been there, and been able to perceive something he or she didn't know that he or she was capable of.

Yes, it was "profound." But it had also been so long since Julie had herself developed telepathy - at a much stronger level than this - that it was also entirely _ordinary_.

To her, at least.

And that made her a strange creature - a strange creature reminded of her strangeness by a newcomer, an explorer who had chanced upon her island and declared it the OTHER. "Yes, mystery author," she wanted to say, "you live on an island, and I live on a _different island!_ An actual other island, yes, one that can be seen. Even touched. OH MY."

It didn't matter who the mystery author was, she decided, tossing the letter in the trash. Was this person any closer to understanding Julie, and what she went through every day, behind the gloves?

No.

**Author's Note:**

> Email doesn't exist as such in that universe - and since this story takes place on Earth, and not in deep space, it makes sense this is just a regular old letter.


End file.
